There was only one “new” bod on the team sheet compared to Saturday, with Cam Tutt coming in for Jasper Pattenden.

On a challenging surface, it took the Blue-clad Reds less than sixty seconds to attack the host’s goal, when Pearce blasted over after an incisive break and delivery from the returning Tutt on the left.

Colbran was next to set his sights, only for his half-volley to be deflected behind for another corner, after the initial set-piece had been won by the hard-working Pearce and sent in by Dean Cox.

Midway through the opening period though, it was the homesters who would tear up the form book.

Captain Lewwis Spence won and soon received a free-kick, from the corner flag to the edge of the eighteen yard area, that he then saw deflected behind for a flag-kick.

Liam Nash’s first one didn’t quite have the desired effect but his second certainly did, thanks to Charlie Stimson – on early for the injured Billy Bricknell – lashing home from close range at the far post.

The FA Trophy holders went looking for a second three minutes later; Will Seager needing to be alert to block Joe Christou’s shot, via Jili Buyabu’s low left wing cross.

However, three more minutes had elapsed when visiting Skipper Racine was adjudged, eventually, to have got the last/ decisive touch to a Jesse Starkey corner to even up the score.

Reece Myles-Meekums tried his luck from distance, only for his twenty yarder to dip a fraction too late, as it landed on the roof of the net.

Worthing had their noses in front, ten minutes into the second-half, when Pearce battled against two red shirts on the byline and successfully got past the latter, Remi Sutton once but not twice as the left-back brought him down for a spot-kick. Ollie dusted himself down and confidently sent Joe Wright the wrong way to edge the league leaders ahead.

Hornchurch responded in an instant with a quickly taken free-kick catching out the guests rearguard. Christou played an inch-perfect slide-rule pass through the centre for Nash to latch onto but his sliding attempt went over the bar and out for a goal-kick.

Another set-piece offered Worthing the opportunity to increase the gap between the two teams just past the hour mark, as Tutt was clipped from behind by Junior Nkwonta. Starkey bent it in and Racine arrived on time, on the angle to head goalwards, though, sadly, not on target.

A barnstorming run by Myles-Meekums, in the game’s final quarter, led to the mercurial winger being frustrated by goalkeeper Wright, who then proceeded to air some frustration of his own with a bizarre barge into Meeky, knocking him clean off his feet. The Urchin’s number one could consider himself a tad lucky to escape with merely a yellow card.

Things soon calmed down and just five minutes after that little incident, the Sussex side made it three-one.

Although not before Pearce suffered a rare malfunction, swinging a left foot and missing the goal frame, following a lovely long ball into the box by Racine.

Once more, Starkey’s dead-ball accuracy came to the fore.

He warmed-up by picking out Racine at the far upright; his nod coming off a defender for attempt number two. Jesse’s left-flank flag-kick was delivered deep to the back stick again, where Colbran flew in to power home with his dome and register his first goal of the season in the process.

Despite enjoying a two-goal cushion though, it still needed our own man between the sticks Harrison Male to make his only real save of the night.

Sutton threaded one through for Spence but “H” was there to snuff out the danger in some style.